Today In Sports History

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 1951 file photo, Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants hits a home run against Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca, which became known as "The Shot Heard 'Round The World," during a playoff baseball game at the Polo Grounds in New York. The Giants and Dodgers and their fans have one of the longest and most passionate rivalries in American sport, beginning with their first meeting as National League rivals in 1891 and following both teams to California in the 1950s. (AP Photo/File)

JUNEAU EMPIRE

SEPTEMBER 29

1913 — Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators finished the season with 36 victories by virtue of a 1-0 decision over the Philadelphia A’s.

1941 — Joe Louis knocks out Lou Nova in the sixth round at the Polo Grounds in New York to retain the world heavyweight title.

1954 — Willie Mays makes his over-the-shoulder catch of Vic Wertz’s long drive to center field and pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes homers off Bob Lemon in the 10th inning to lead the New York Giants to a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the World Series.

1963 — Stan Musial ended his career by going 2-for-3 as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 in 14 innings at Busch Stadium.

1963 — John Paciorek of the Houston Colt .45s, in his only major league appearance, went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and four runs scored against the New York Mets. A back injury ended his baseball career the next season.

1974 — Dr. Norbert Sander Jr. wins the New York City Marathon in 2:26:30 and Kathy Switzer captures the women’s division in 3:07:29.

1976 — John Montefusco of the San Francisco Giants pitched a 9-0 no-hitter over the Braves in Atlanta.

1977 — Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Earnie Shavers at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain his world heavyweight title.

1984 — Mike Prindle of Western Michigan sets an NCAA record by kicking seven field goals in a 42-7 rout over Marshall.

1985 — Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon is sacked 12 times in a 17-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys to tie an NFL record.

1986 — Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven broke Robin Roberts’ 1956 record of 46 home run pitches in a season when he gave up a two-out, third-inning homer to Cleveland rookie Jay Bell. It was the first major league pitch Bell had seen. Despite giving up two more homers, Blyleven was the winner when the Twins rallied in the eighth for a 6-5 victory.

1986 — Chicago Cubs rookie Greg Maddux defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 in the City of Brotherly Love. The losing pitcher was his brother, Mike, also a rookie. It was the first time brothers faced each other as rookie pitchers.

1991 — Pat Bradley wins the MBS LPGA Classic by one shot over Michelle Estill for her 30th career victory, qualifying her for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

1995 — The NHL and NHL Players Association strike a deal to allow league players to participate in the 1998 Winter Olympics.

1996 — Vinny Castilla of the Colorado Rockies hit his 40th homer in a 12-3 victory at San Francisco. He combined with teammates Andres Galarraga (47 homers) and Ellis Burks (40) to form the first 40-homer trio on one team since the 1973 Atlanta Braves: Davey Johnson (43), Darrell Evans (41), Hank Aaron (40).

2000 — At the Sydney Olympics, the U.S. men’s basketball team escapes the humiliation of playing for a bronze medal with an 85-83 victory over Lithuania in the semifinals. It’s the closest victory and biggest scare for a U.S. Olympic team since NBA players started competing in 1992.

2001 — Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki sets the major league rookie record for hits in a season, but the Mariners lose to Oakland 8-4. Suzuki gets his 234th hit, breaking the previous rookie mark set by Shoeless Joe Jackson with Cleveland in 1911.

2002 — After losing to Iowa State, Nebraska drops out of the Associated Press Top 25 football poll after being ranked for 348 consecutive weeks. The last time Nebraska was missing from the poll was Oct. 5, 1981.

2002 — Seattle’s Shaun Alexander scores an NFL-record five touchdowns in the first half of a 48-23 rout of Minnesota. He finishes with 139 yards rushing and 92 receiving and one TD short of the league mark of six in a game.

2004 — Major League Baseball announces the Montreal Expos will move to Washington to begin play at RFK Stadium in the 2005 season.

2004 — Bobby Cox became the ninth manager in baseball history to win 2,000 games when Atlanta scored four runs in the seventh inning and beat the New York Mets 6-3. Of the eight managers who previously reached 2,000 wins, seven are in the Hall of Fame. The lone exception is Tony La Russa, still managing the St. Louis Cardinals. Cox’s overall record was 2,000-1,530, and he has guided Atlanta to 13 straight division titles.

2008 — Alexei Ramirez set a rookie record with his fourth grand slam of the season, and Chicago beat Detroit 8-2 in a rainout makeup, forcing a one-game tiebreaker against Minnesota for the AL Central tie.

2011 — The Tampa Bay Rays clinch the AL wild card with a stunning rally, overcoming a late seven-run deficit and then beating the New York Yankees 8-7 on Evan Longoria’s home run in the 12th inning. The Rays’ win comes four minutes after Boston blew a one-run lead in the ninth at Baltimore and lost 4-3. The Red Sox, who held a nine-game lead over the Rays in early September, and Tampa Bay began the final day of the regular season tied for the wild card.

2011 — Chris Carpenter and St. Louis complete one of the more remarkable comebacks in baseball history, clinching the NL wild card with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta. St. Louis, which trailed Atlanta by 10 1/2 games on Aug. 25, win 23 of their last 31 games. The Cardinals get their playoff spot when the Braves falls to Philadelphia 4-3 in 13 innings.

2011 — New York’s Jose Reyes bunted for a base hit in the first inning against Cincinnati and was lifted for a pinch-runner, enough to give him the NL batting title with a .337 average. Ryan Braun, who was at .334 heading into Milwaukee’s regular-season finale against Pittsburgh, went 0 for 4 and finished at .332.

2012 — Geno Smith throws for 656 yards and ties a Big 12 record with eight touchdown passes to lead No. 9 West Virginia to a 70-63 win over No. 25 Baylor. Smith outduels Baylor’s Nick Florence, who has a standout game of his own with 581 yards and five TDs. Baylor’s Terrance Williams sets a Big 12 record with 314 yards receiving. The old mark was set minutes earlier by West Virginia’s Stedman Bailey, who had 303 yards and five TDs. It’s the most points scored in a game involving a team ranked in The Associated Press poll. The previous record of 124 was set in No. 12 Oklahoma’s 82-42 win over Colorado in 1980.